NHL Style Rankings: 2024 Playoffs Edition

Folks, NHL fashion has hit the mainstream radar, and not in the best way.

Popular menswear writer and men’s fashion Twitter account @dieworkwear, who tries his best to not ruffle any feathers, couldn’t help but take issue with some of the Dallas Stars’ Western Conference Final attire choices.

“I love everyone,” he wrote, “but we need to find who is selling clothes to athletes and arrest them.”

Look, by and large, he isn’t wrong. Part of the reason I started these rankings a few seasons ago was to encourage the few players who stood out from the crowd, had above-average tailoring, and/or weren’t afraid to stray from the, frankly, subpar norm. Since then, more and more players are stepping up, but you won’t find any of them in the photo referenced.

There are still ways to go when it comes to fashion in the NHL, but let’s take a look at 10 players who have actually done it right throughout the 2024 playoffs before the puck drops on the Stanley Cup Finals.

Styled by Gentleman’s Playbook, Trocheck has really broken out in the NHL fashion scene in the past few seasons. Love the confidence here as he’s rocking two decidedly different patterns, but the tailoring and color schemes mesh so well that it’s a calculated risk that sits well with the eyeballs.

Sebastian Aho is the perfect example of a player who has stepped up tailoring and color selection without having to “force” it or trying too hard to fit a style or trend that isn’t true to himself. I love this take on stripes — a classic pattern with a slightly unconventional color that really suits him. Then you have the two-toned nature with the true blue on the suit and the darker blue with the tie.

If you’re ever looking to elevate a suit without doing too much, two-toned looks are the way.

It doesn’t get much more “Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs” than a Hockey Night In Canada jacket. Loved that personal touch here from Max Domi, who is generally among the best-dressed NHLers day-to-day. Too bad we never got to see his second-round looks.

This post-trend print on Jason Zucker isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly for me. The texture combination with the shoes and the rest of the fit really ties it all together.

I always want a little more from K’Andre Miller because he is the master of complete fits, hats, accessories and all. But perhaps the whole “wanting more” thing is the hallmark of truly balanced, understated fashion. He’s whispering, not screaming, and he’s beyond consistent.

The King of Originality did it again through the Bruins’ two playoff rounds this postseason. There were several distinctly “Pastrnak” looks, but this robe-inspired look with a built-in belt around the waist is now one of my all-time favorites from Pastrnak. It’s original without doing too much, it’s innovative in the way the rest of the actual fashion world is trending right now, and it’s a bit understated — which is the opposite of his usual M.O. with a new look.

I also loved the take on the all-black with a pop of pastel for the hat. Things that others might not pull off work for him, per usual.

King of the Flash, we’re lucky to have Kane’s Stanley Cup Finals outfits heading into the big stage. This number above was a highlight of the first three rounds, an impressionist take on the regal suit style he knows and loves.

Nikita Zadorov is who he is, likes what he likes, and doesn’t give a damn what any of us think about it. He’s emerging as one of the big, refreshing personalities in the NHL for this reason, and his penchant for double-breasted suits is coming right along with him.

I’ve been a critic of his looks because of the mock turtleneck aspect of it all, but he seemed to ditch those for the playoffs. I’m officially on board.

Leave it to Matthew Tkachuk, the most clutch playoff player in the game, to do the “dressing for a funeral” thing and actually pull it off. To the Finals he and his mullet go.

There’s something poetic about the best player in the world not only not dressing for a funeral, but being nervous and/or superstitious enough to dress in his “lucky” suit three times in a row on the way to punching the Oilers’ ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. Of course, McDavid set the tone five minutes into Game 6 with a goal to send Edmonton past Dallas, but he wasn’t taking any chances with the pre-game suit.